A Sikh student at Hofstra University filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the United States Army , claiming the service refused to grant him a religious accommodation that would allow him to enlist in his school 's ROTC program without shaving his beard , cutting his hair and removing his turban , according to court documents .

When Iknoor Singh requested a religious exemption from the military 's grooming policies to enlist as an ROTC cadet in April 2013 , his request was first denied on the grounds that his noncompliance would have `` an adverse impact on the Army 's readiness , unit cohesion , standards , health , safety , or discipline , '' court documents said .

The Army subsequently adjusted its decision , saying Singh could only seek an exemption after he was enlisted as a cadet -- creating a catch-22 in which Singh would have to violate his faith to be able to apply for a religious accommodation , the documents said .

`` I could n't believe the military was asking me to make the impossible decision of choosing between the country I love and my faith , '' Singh said in a blog post on the ACLU 's website .

The lawsuit , filed jointly by the ACLU and United Sikhs , which describes itself as a U.N.-affiliated nonprofit organization , claims that the Army 's denial of religious exemption violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act . The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia .

As a practicing Sikh , Singh maintains certain articles of faith , including ` kesh , ' which the court documents describe as `` rooted in the belief that allowing hair to grow naturally is a sign of respect toward the perfection of God 's creation . ''

The court documents continue : `` Like most Sikhs , Mr. Singh believes that the turban is an inseparable part of his Sikh religious identity and that exposing his `` naked '' head in public , as Defendants would require upon his enlistment , would be sacrilegious and shameful . ''

Singh was born and raised in Queens , New York , and has dreams of serving as a military intelligence officer , according to court documents .

A sophomore at the Hempstead , New York , university , Singh is a finance major and audits the ROTC military-science coursework as an unenlisted member of the program , according to court documents .

In a statement , Hofstra University said it `` entirely supports Mr. Singh 's ambitions to serve his country . He is currently enrolled in the ROTC class and we are providing him leadership training to the extent that the U.S. Army has allowed . We very much hope that the Army will permit us to enroll Mr. Singh in the program as a full Cadet . ''

The Army has allowed religious exemptions to its grooming and dress regulations for Sikhs in the past . A 2010 news article published on the Army 's website described the accommodation that was allowed to Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan and Capt. Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi , both Sikhs .

`` The Army does allow personnel to request waivers for practices that may conflict with current Army regulations and policies and are considered on a case-by-case basis , '' the article said .

A spokeswoman for the Army did not have a comment available on exemptions to its grooming policy available at the time of the publication of this article .

In September , the Army adjusted its grooming policies to allow female soldiers to wear braids , cornrows and twists in their hair -- a policy shift that resulted from a public petition that called the ban `` racially biased . ''

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Hofstra student is denied a religious exemption

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It would have allowed him to enlist as an ROTC cadet

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Iknoor Singh is a practicing Sikh who has beard , long hair and wears a turban

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Singh is represented by the ACLU